UNCW Masters of Public Administration What’s in it for you?

Mission The mission of the MPA program is to advance effective public governance in southeastern North Carolina and beyond through the education of future leaders, relevant research, and a commitment to service that strengthens communities.

Opportunities Yielded by the MPA The Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree is the professional degree for students seeking a career in public service or nonprofit management. MPA programs develop the skills and techniques used by managers to implement policies, projects, and programs that resolve important problems within their organization and in society.

MPA Program Overview 2 year program Full/Part time Enrollment Afternoon & Evening Classes Online Courses Financial Support Tuition and Fees Flexible Internship Opportunities Supportive Peers and Alumni Study Abroad Opportunities It’s a 2 year program that can be accomplished through full time or part time enrollment. Full time student usually earn their degree in roughly 2 years where a part time student earns it in roughly 3. This includes 2 fall, 2 spring and 1 summer semester to graduate. The program offers afternoon and evening classes to accommodate those who work during the day. The class times that are offered are 1530 and 1830. If these times don’t fit the students needs, every professor offers online courses for distant learning. There is a plethora of financial support ranging from Federal financial aid including but not limited to the GI Bill, students of the National Guard also have access to the State tuition assistance which is processed on first come first serve basis. Students can also apply for a GTA position to help with school costs. The degree requires 300 hours of and internship or fellowship during your enrollment. This is easy to accommodate for since so many institutions in the NH and Brunswick areas are looking for interns. Our faculty are great for forwarding job and internship opportunities weekly to the students. This does not usually apply to students who work full time. The faculty will work around your schedule the best that they can. Practicum/Internship can be waived with 5 years. Practicum can replace Internship and integrate into current or previous employment experience. https://uncw.edu/finaid/cost.html

Advantages of the MPA The MPA program offers critical skills courses for effective public and nonprofit policy and management. Flexible Curriculum and Concentrations Fully Prepares students for Career Goals Outstanding faculty with academic & professional experience Expanding online classroom opportunities MPA offers a wide range of concentrations to fit every students interests and specialization.

Masters of Public Administration Concentrations Public Management Nonprofit Management Coastal Planning and Management Environmental Policy Public Policy Analysis Urban and Regional Policy and Planning Marine Policy Create your Own! The MPA program allows students to have a wide range of skills with the variation of concentrations. Some students have dual concentrations which is the equivalent to two graduate degrees. If none of these degrees excite you, you can create your own within the curriculum of the program to specialize yourself for your career after school.

Careers of MPA’s 100% Post-Graduate Employment Rate (UNCW past 2 years) Local/State/Federal Employment Increase of ~$10,000 in income post graduate Continuous Leadership Opportunities National Survey data through NASPAA shows employment rate of approximately 80% with 11% employed, but seeking new positions. UNCW reflects 100% employment rate from the program. Turnover is more a reflection of diverse employment opportunity vs. employment challenges. MPA/MPP graduates usually enter the federal government at GS-9, or at GS-11 if they have relevant work experience. In 2017, a GS-9’s annual pay starts at $43,251, while a GS-11’s starts at $52,329. Federal workers are usually promoted within their grade in 1-2 “steps” per year.

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration Double check the meaning of this source information. It should be in the original survey data. Source: NASPAA 2015 Alumni Survey

Source: NASPAA 2015 Alumni Survey

N=540 Source: NASPAA 2015 Alumni Survey

Special Benefits for Military Members UNCW accepts Military Transfer Credits (MTC’s) Graduate school application fee is waived Military members stationed within NC at the time of application are eligible for in-state tuition rate. Military Specific Audience IF a person has 60 credits (Associates Degree) from the Military, IF that person is GI Bill eligible, then only 1 year of education needs to be paid to achieve 2 degrees E5 second enlistment, over 6 years: 2925.30, $35,103.60 Chart is available for comparison, downloaded for 2018.

UNCW MPA Faculty Dr. Jennifer Biddle-Collaborative Governance & Coastal Sustainability, Collaborative Processes/outcomes Dr. John Brennan-Regional Economic Development, History of American Public Administration, Urban Policy and Planning Dr. Christopher Prentice-Public Administration and Nonprofit Management Dr. Mark Imperial-Collaboration, Institutional Analysis, Coastal Planning and Management, Watershed Governance Dr. Kristen Kinzer-Urban Planning, Quantitative Research Methods, Geospatial Information Systems Dr. Jeffrey Brudney-Nonprofit Management, Public Service Delivery, Research Methods and Statistics, Volunteering and Volunteer Programs

Student Resources Financial Aid Councilor: Alton Johnson johnson@uncw.edu Student Veteran Organization (SVO)/ Facebook Military Affairs Office https://uncw.edu/military/ Military Resource Lounge UNCW MPA https://uncw.edu/mpa/ https://uncw.edu/mpa/index.html https://uncw.edu/military/

Department of Public and International Affairs Leutze Hall 267 Jeffrey Brudney, Ph.D Email: brudneyj@uncw.edu Phone: (910) 962 -3920 Contact Us!